A smooth and highly floral tasting Dancong oolong with a walnut-shell taste.
My thoughts
Ah, dancong oolong. The oolong that got me into oolongs. Years back I bought a couple ounces of Teavana's Dancong, and I absolutely loved it. Looking back, it really wasn't that good of a tea, but at the time, it was one of the best I'd ever had. Dancongs are still one of my favorite varieties of oolong, and I drink them at least once a week. Yes, I have so much tea that a common drinker for me is once a week. Send help!Dancongs have a reputation for being finicky about temperatures and steep times. I've brewed this one several different ways and haven't had a bad cup yet, so I'd say that this one is pretty forgiving. As with most all dancongs, this one originates from Wudong Mountain in Guangdong province. I'm not sure what aroma class this one belongs to, but I would guess the Mi Lan Xiang (Honey Orchid Fragrance). If anyone knows for sure, let me know.
Dry leaves - The aroma coming off the leaves is fairly typical for a dancong: sweet, orchid, and minerality. The leaves are bigger and darker than most other dancongs, hence the name. There are still some light green leaves mixed in with the dark forest greenish-black color that makes up most of the leaves.
Brewing parameters - 200F, 5s first, +10s after. This is my typical method for brewing dancongs. Many of them are picky, but these parameters have consistently yielded great brews across the dancong spectrum. Your results may vary, and I encourage you to experiment to see what works best for you.
Tasting notes - Mellow, toasted honey, orchid, orange blossom, minerality, black walnut
This one brings a lot of complexity to the table, even for a dancong. The aroma of the brew is a wonderfully thick honey and orchid blend that makes me think of springtime. At first sip, I get a quick bright note of fresh honey that quickly turns into a mellow, smooth and toasty honey/orchid/orange blossom fusion. The finish is distinctly black walnuts, which lingers for a really long time after the sip. On top of everything, there is a touch of minerality to set this off as a dancong.Subsequent steeps become even more floral than the first. It's not an overwhelming floral sweetness like some green oolongs have, but a well-balanced mellow honey/orchid taste that is really delicious. The black walnut becomes a little more prominent as well, creeping up to the beginning of the sip rather than waiting for the end. I liked steeps 3-5 best out of 7 total. As with any dancong, it is quite generous and could give you well over 10 steeps without much issue.
Overall, this is an excellent dancong, and absolutely worth your time. The walnutty taste is what really sets this apart from other dancongs, and is pretty unique among tea. The only other teas I've found that have such a prominent walnut taste are a select few Taiwanese oolongs.
You can buy this here from What-Cha here: http://what-cha.com/sale/china-guangdong-big-black-leaf-da-wu-ye-dan-cong-oolong-tea/
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